Correction on Vietnam Wall Defacement

Patriots and Comrades All:

After several attempts, I was able to contact SGT Booker
of the National Park Service (NPS), to check on the facts
about the defacement of the Vietnam Wall last weekend. He
explained it was a cleaning accident by a Park Ranger and
NOT a defacement as was originally reported by the Vietnam
Veterans of American (VVA). The NPS is regarding this as
an accident instead of an act of vandalism or terrorism.

Our National Commander Patriot Henry Cook III has the
direct phone numbers for SGT Booker of the NPS, and can
verify these facts with him directly. A copy of this
correction is also being sent the VVA for their follow up
and verification. My apology for the error, as sometimes
it is not always possible to reach the NPS immediately.

Any future report of attempted or actual vandalism will
be verified with the NPS in advance, even if that means a
significant delay in reporting the incident.

Yours in Patriotism,

Steve Cobb
Commander
Region I, MOPH
NE/Mid-Atlantic USA
Military Order of the Purple Heart

>Vietnam Memorial Wall Defaced This Weekend (September 7-9, 2007)

Mrs. Trooprally called to tell me that she and her husband, as well as Concretebob, saw damage along almost the entire length of the Vietnam Memorial Wall. They found this damage this morning, when they walked through the area before participating in the September 11th Freedom Walk.

Concretebob was told by a National Park Service employee that the damage was done on Friday night. There was no police report taken or written about the vandalism, apparently. And the damage was still very much there today.

Here are a few of the photos that Mrs. Trooprally took the next morning...

This first one is not so noticeable, but as they walked into the center, it got worse.

It looks like the person who did this walked along The Wall with some type of container, perhaps hidden at their side so that they could squirt the oily substance without being caught in the act.

The names along the lower part of The Wall appear to have taken the brunt of the damage.

Because of the reflective nature of The Wall, Mrs. Trooprally had a tough time capturing the extent of the damage. Mr. Trooprally said that the oily substance has discolored the shiny stone, but that it has been absorbed into the more porous area where the names are etched into The Wall.

For Immediate Release Contact:
Lisa Gough
Sept. 11, 2007
(202) 393-0090, ext. 109

Light, Oily Substance Spilled onto Portions of the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial; National Park Service Moves to Remove Substance Quickly

Washington, D.C. - On Friday, September 7, National Park Service staff
and volunteers discovered a light, oily and unidentified substance that
was spilled over portions of some of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial's
panels and paving stones, with National Park Service (NPS) preservation
and maintenance staff beginning the removal process immediately.

The United States Park Police has begun an investigation into the
matter, and that investigation is ongoing. Until this investigation is
completed, it is premature to speculate whether any intentional act was
committed.

The NPS' preservation and maintenance staff continues to work to remove
the substance and believes it will be possible to remove the substance
entirely. 

For nearly 25 years, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and NPS have
worked together on the maintenance of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
"The care and security of this national treasure remain a top priority
to both the Memorial Fund and the National Park Service," said Memorial
Fund Founder and President Jan C. Scruggs.

"While it is unclear what transpired, we are heartened by the response
of the veterans' community and the general public. After 25 years, their
connection to The Wall remains as strong as ever, and we appreciate
that," Scruggs added.

As more information becomes available, the Memorial Fund and NPS will
keep the news media and the general public aware.  
--
Lisa Gough
Director of Communications
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
1023 Fifteenth Street, NW, Second Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 393-0090, ext. 109
Fax: (202) 393-0029
www.vvmf.org

Below is from the Washington Times

National Park Service workers were working to remove a substance from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial's wall without permanently damaging the panels.Peter Lockley.  The Washington Times Maintenance and preservation staff worked to clean off an unidentified substance that was spread over an area of about 50 to 60 feet, mostly in the paving stones of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Vandals feared at memorial

By Natasha Altamirano
September 11, 2007

The U.S. Park Police are investigating suspected vandalism at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Mall.
Volunteers and National Park Service rangers on Saturday discovered a "light, oily" substance on the memorial's wall panels and the paving stones in front of it, Bill Line, a Park Service spokesman, said yesterday. The substance, which has not been identified, was spread over an area of about 50 to 60 feet, mostly on the paving stones, Mr. Line said.

Maintenance and preservation staff were working to remove the substance with no permanent damage to the memorial. Mr. Line could not predict when the cleaning would be completed.The substance "could have been from a variety of different products," and it is not clear whether it was spread intentionally, said Sgt. Robert LaChance, Park Police spokesman."We are investigating to see if there was any criminal act or if it was an accident," Sgt. LaChance said. "We don't have any indication that it was intentional, but we are investigating to see if it's a possibility."

More than 4 million people visit the memorial each year. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the wall, which is inscribed with the names of 58,249 veterans.

Architect Maya Ying Lin was a 21-year-old senior at Yale University when she won the design contest. The memorial is on the west end of the Mall, between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.